ŁḮɆⱾ
by Lightningstrike of ForestClan
Summary: "Secrets... They're everywhere. Unavoidable. Everyone has something to hide. Some we reveal voluntarily, realizing the folly of trying to suppress the truth. Others, we keep to the end, shielding our loved ones from the brutal cleansing fire that is the truth. Secrets are what keep us vigilant; their existence is what keeps us searching. But some secrets are meant to be kept..."
1. Prologue

**Here it is, guys! The long-awaited, much-hyped fanfiction by yours truly!**

 **ŁḮɆ₷**

 **How do you like the title? I decided to shake it up a bit with some unconventional letters, and I personally think it looks sweet.**

 **Also, I'm trying out a somewhat different writing style with this one; let me know what you think!**

Prologue

"Brackentuft."

I am wrenched from my shadowless dreams, torn from my fruitless glimpse of flawed perfection by that one fateful word: my name.

"What?" I mumble, my laden eyelids opening slowly to a dark, foreboding world.

"It's me," the glistening amber she-cat whispers, her quivering voice raising me up by my heart to stand on unsteady paws.

"Dawnlight?"

"Yes. I have something to tell you." Her tone is perfectly neutral, which in itself means she is greatly troubled. A quick glance at her eyes confirms this; they waver in the thinning moonlight like two yellow stems of grass in the hot summer wind.

"What is it?" I ask, unsure whether to step towards or away from my mate. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Not-" she chokes, "Not here. Come." She fumbles her way through the camp, each step a blind leap in a vast void of trepidation.

I follow her into the deep forest, saying nothing of my inner thoughts as I listen to the crisp nothingness that is silence.

We reach a small, defined clearing and she turns to face me, breath begetting warm mist in the air.

"Now tell me," I demand quietly, my wary, rasping voice barely my own.

"Oh, Brackentuft," she sighs, staring down at the frozen brown leaves. "It-It's not your fault…"

"What is it?" _What has happened? What could possibly have transpired that would make her act so… Guilty?_

"I…" The words catch in her throat like they're covered in thorns. "I'm leaving you."

Claws stab my heart, their icy touch freezing my blood and reaching deep into my mind. "You… what?"

"I just… I can't…" She looks up at me helplessly, my paralyzed form trapped by her miserable gaze.

"I don't love you, Brackentuft."

The enchantment is shattered, and I drop limply to the ground before her.

"I'm sorry…" she breaks off into a subtly stifled whimper. "I wanted to tell you sooner… I've been seeing this other tom for a while now…"

I can't bear to listen to any more; the sorrow and defeat rising in my hollow chest overwhelm me. I leap up, whirling around and sprinting off into the crooked, barren trees. I run, fueled by desperation and denial, until my legs can run no more.

"No," I gasp as I collapse in a field of unfamiliar rocks. "No, it can't… she can't…"

Breathlessly, I do everything I can to forget the brutal shockwave that just tore through my life… my love… but I can't.

The realization washes over me just as the moon crests the silhouetted hill in front of me, its raw beam of stark white reality pummeling me to the ground.

"NO!" I wail, scalding tears streaming from my eyes. "Why?" I raise my head to the sky, as if I hope the heavens will have some answer to my empty question.

But the eyes in the stars stare down coldly as they always have, watching without emotion as I am crushed beneath the weight of an immaterial burden.

 **Allegiances:**

 **ShadowClan:**

Leader: Ravenstar - dark gray, almost black she-cat with dark yellow eyes, and white spots on her tail, paw and chin.

Deputy: Emberstrike - brown tom with reddish patches, a strong build, and piercing orange eyes

Roseheart - light tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Rosemarypaw- deep, beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat with lovely emerald green eyes

Adderstripe - gray-brown striped tom with kind light green eyes

Darkfoot - light gray tom with black feet and dark amber eyes

Willowbreeze - white and gray patchy she-cat with light yellow eyes

Fernsong - calico tortoiseshell, green eyes

Gorseclaw - Gray tabby tom, yellow eyes

Nightwing - black she-cat save the tips of her paws with green eyes

Snowstorm - white long-haired tom with tufted ears and green eyes

Ashpaw - medium gray patchy she-cat

Larkpaw - white and black tom

Thrushpaw - light gray tom with large darker stripes and amber eyes

Sootpaw - black and dark gray patchy tom with hazel eyes

Lilacpaw - white she-cat with large tan patches and bright yellow eyes

 **ThunderClan:**

Leader: Cloudstar - White tom with blackish-gray spots on his chin, paw and tail.

Deputy: Brackentuft - Dark amber and white tom with tufted ears and blue eyes

Thornstripe - Tan tom with darker stripes and orange eyes

Graysplash - Gray speckled she-cat with amber eyes

Brambleslash - brown and russet tabby tom with golden eyes

Leopardclaw - Golden she-cat with black spots and green eyes

Dawnlight - Gorgeous amber she-cat with yellow eyes

 **I Need OCs!**

 **So, I have almost all of ShadowClan planned out and some of ThunderClan, but I need more for ThunderClan (mainly apprentices and a medicine cat) and I need ALL of WindClan AND RiverClan. I'll start off with a 4-OC limit per person but if I don't get enough that way, I'll allow more. Here's a simple form to fill out for each OC you'd like to submit:**

 **Name:**

 **Clan:**

 **Position (If you want Leader, Deputy, Medicine cat, etc.)**

 **Physical Description (Gender, coat/eye colors, build):**

 **Personality:**

 **Family (if you want them to be related to anyone I already have):**

 **Importance, scale of -5 to 5 (-5 means "I want to see this character DEAD!", 0 means "Eh, I don't care what happens to them", 5 means "This character is my heart and soul"):**

 **Anything else you want or anything I may have forgotten:**

 **And there you go. Please note I can't guarantee every character a major appearance in the plot; I've planned it out extensively so it's more cohesive. Also, this will almost definitely be first-come, first-served. If you'd like a position in one of the clans, SUBMIT A REVIEW! You snooze, you lose. (PM works too, in case you've already reviewed this chapter.)**

 **That's it for today! Look out for chapter 1 of this, as well as chapter 21 of TMP!**


	2. AN (Title fail: Fixed)

**Whoops, the S in the title didn't go through for some reason... Fixed now!**


End file.
